A Shot In Paradise (A Light In The Dark Story)
by ShadowedSoulTrixalee
Summary: This is the sequel to my story A Light In The Dark. What has happened since the CDC? Why are Josh and Shane still at such odds? What lies in store for Faye, Daryl, and Jaime? Will the Wyatts meet up with the rest of their family? And why does Lori start to not trust Faye? All these questions and more will be answered in this sequel to "A Light In The Dark". Rated T 4 now. Ch05Fixed
1. Chapter 1

**I own nothing from The Walking Dead Universe. I only own my characters and story alterations. Everything else belongs to its respected owners!**

**A/N: So I know a lot of you have been waiting for this sequel. It took me a while to get my mojo back after the unexpected passing of my mother over the holidays. But I'm back and I would like to dedicate this story to her. She was a major fan of The Walking Dead as well as my writing. In this sequel to "A Light In The Dark" there will be many things you won't see coming as well as surprises at every turn. **

**I have a challenge for you real faithful readers. There are two meanings to the title of this sequel "A Shot In Paradise". The first person to PM me with both meanings and both being correct will get their own One-Shot written by me. That's right. You tell me what you want to happen and I will create you a story. Just know right now that I do not care for slash stories and will NOT write them. I'm looking forward to seeing who can figure this riddle out! Now on with the story! Remember to please Review! Reviews keep the juices flowing! Enjoy!**

**Chapter 1 – What Lies Ahead**

Faye's POV

We decided to stay on the outskirts of Atlanta for the last two days, scavenging for supplies. We had been ciphering gas from every car we could find and loaded a lot of it in our truck and the RV. At the moment Rick was on the roof talking on a walkie to a man named Morgan. Apparently he had been the one to save Rick's life when he woke up and left the hospital. As far as I knew, he wasn't getting a response back.

So far we still hadn't heard from the other half of our family yet. We had to be at the meeting point in a few days and I was excited to see them, but most of all my mom. I wanted to tell her how sorry I was for calling her crazy all these years when she would go on about the world ending. I wanted to thank her for getting josh and I ready for it, but most of all I just wanted to see her beautiful face and hug her tightly.

After we loaded everything up in the vehicles, we decided to finally leave for Fort Benning which was a little over a hundred miles away. Daryl's truck had run out of gas and he figured his brother's bike would get more mileage so he decided to leave the truck behind. Rick thought it would be a good idea if Daryl led the vehicles and Josh would trail the tail end and most of us agreed. I could tell Shane didn't like how close Rick and Josh were becoming. We all loaded into the vehicles and Daryl began to lead the way toward Fort Benning.

We had made it maybe fifty miles when we hit a patch of abandoned and damaged vehicles all over the road. Cars were flipped and others had dead bodies inside of them. Daryl started to lead a path through the reckage, but halfway through everyone had to stop because there was a problem with the RV. We all exited the vehicles and made our way up to the RV.

"Problem Dale?" Shane asked as he made his way out of the RV.

"Just the small matter of being in the middle of nowhere with no hope of..." his voice trailed off as he looked around then saw Daryl digging into a trunk of a car. "Okay that was dumb."

"If you can't find a radiator hose here..." Shane gestured around.

"There's a whole bunch of stuff we could find." Daryl added and I couldn't help but smirk at the way he said it.

"I can cypher more gas from these cars for a start." T-Dogg spoke.

"I'll help." Ava added.

"Maybe some water." Carol suggested.

"Or food." Glenn agreed.

"This is a graveyard." Everyone including myself looked to Lori. "I don't know hoe I feel about this." She stated.

"Everyone just look around and gather what you can." Shane instructed and the group seemed to listen to him.

Josh simply gave me a look showing that's what he wanted me and Ava to do as well so we all split up into groups. As I passed the RV I saw Glenn helping Dale with it and could see Dale wanting to show him the ropes. Rick, Josh and Shane kept a look out with Daryl.

Not much had changed or really happened with Daryl and I since the CDC. He still kept an eye on Jaime and I, but he was the quiet type that liked to keep things to himself. Jaime had been able to get inside his head a few times and the more Daryl kept from us, the more Jaime thought of him as a super hero. Yes Jaime is still talking and I still haven't said anything about it in case he would stop again and I have to say he really did enlighten a conversation.

"You alright Faye?" Daryl asked snapping me from my thoughts. It was then I noticed he had hi arm around my shoulders. I looked into his sea blue eyes and smiled.

"I'm fine, just spaced for a moment." He gave me a squeeze before letting me go to rummage through an abandoned car.

I looked around and saw Jaime playing with his bear near Ava, Dale on top of the RV and Shane trying to break into a semi trailer. I walked up to the car next to the one Daryl was going through. A few moments went by when we heard the trailer door that Shane was messing with open.

"What was that about needing water?" he exclaimed causing us to look. The entire trailer was filled with jugs of water. Shane broke one open and let it rain on him. "It's like being baptized man." he smiled and Jaime ran over to the water and put his hand under what was still running.

Rick came over and had his attention focused on the road ahead. He pulled out his gun causing me to turn instinctively and pull out my pistol. It was then I saw a walker and I was about to shoot until I saw another then another, until I saw it was more than out group could handle. Rick told us to get under the vehicles while he went to tell everyone else.

Ava covered Jaime's mouth before he could scream at the sight of the walkers and carried him to the nearest car then rolled under it with him. I ducted behind a car then slid under it. Mostly everyone was under the vehicles when I looked around except T-Dogg was struggling near a yellow car. Everyone kept silent as the group of Walkers began to pass. I looked to Jaime and Ava. Jaime's eyes were full of tears. I mouthed the words _it will be okay _to Jaime. He seemed to understand because he nodded with Ava's hand still around his mouth.

When I looked over I saw T-Dogg cut his arm and leave a trail of blood behind him as he tried to find a car to hide under. I made sure the coast was clear then quietly rolled from underneath the vehicle, jumped up and made my way toward T-Dogg to help him. I got to him and shushed him as I ripped the bottom of my shirt off and tried to stop the blood from poring out of his arm. Suddenly I felt a presence behind me and when I turned I saw Daryl using a knife to stab a walker in the back of the head just as it was about to attack me. He then made a shushing motion to both of us as I helped Daryl drag T-Dogg to the ground and Daryl covered him up with a walker, the he and I did the same thing. A couple walkers just passed right over us.

The total group had pretty much passed us by, but I saw two stragglers go for Sophia. They scared her so much it caused her to jump from underneath the car and run into the woods along the side of the highway. As Daryl and I threw the dead walkers off ourselves, I saw Rick take off after Sophia and the walkers. Daryl and I helped T-Dogg up and brought him near the RV. Josh Ran over to me and took my place in helping T-Dogg. Ava made her way over to us and Jaime jumped down and ran over to me. I bent down to be level with him and picked him up as he jumped into my arms and held him tight. We stayed like that for a moment and then he pulled back to look at me.

"I said it would be fine right?" I said to him.

"But there are monsters after Sophia." Jaime replied.

"Don't worry honey. Rick will protect her alright?" he simply nodded in reply.

"What do you need to patch up T-Dogg?" Josh asked.

I took a look at the cut on his arm and told him what I would need to stitch it, well what supplies we actually had. Unfortunately we had no antibiotic left because Ava had become very ill shortly after we raided the hospital. All we had was a light form of penicillin, but with how deep his wound was I knew it would help for a bit, but there was a high risk of infection. I set Jaime down and walked over to Daryl who looked upset. I placed my hand on his shoulder and when he saw it was me, he turned to face me, but now his upsetting look was directed at me.

"What's the matter?" I asked him but he kept silent. He definitely looked like he had something to say though. "What is it?"

"What the hell were you thinking?" He shot and his angry tone caught me by surprise.

"What are you talking about?" I furrowed my brow.

"You were perfectly safe under the car then you came out like an..." his voice trailed off as if he was looking for his next choice word.

"Go on say it!" I shot back at him.

"An idiot!" he finished. I scoffed at him. "Just don't do shit like that." he lightened his tone a bit, but now I was angry.

"Look Daryl, I get that you want to protect me and I like it, but I'm not the type to just sit back and let someone die or be killed if there is something I can do about it! I've been training for all possible situations since I could walk and I can't just change who I am!" I exclaimed. He looked at me and I could see he understood what I was trying to say.

"Be more careful then, alright? That walker almost had you." he stated. There was more concern in his voice than anything else.

"That I can do." I said more calmly. We looked at one another for a few moments then smirked at each other before I walked closer and hugged him. It was then I saw Rick running toward us with no Sophia in sight.

**So there is the end of the first chapter to this sequel. Remember to review and let me know what you think, like, don't like, but please be kind. I Love Reviews and I Love You!**


	2. Chapter 2

**I own nothing from The Walking Dead universe. I simply own my characters and story alterations. Everything else belongs to it's respected owners. **

**A/N: I know a lot of you have been looking forward to this sequel so I'll just cut to the chase. Remember to try your luck in guessing what the two meaning of the title of this story are and PM me! Please Remember to R&R! I Love Reviews! Enjoy!**

**Chapter 2 – Tracking **

Josh's POV

When Rick cam back to the road, it was then he realized that Sophia was not with us. He led me, Daryl, Shane, and Glenn to where he left Sophia and on the way he explained to us exactly how things went down with Sophia. When we got to the location Rick had left Sophia, Rick, Daryl and I jumped down into the water.

"Sure this is the spot?" Daryl asked as him and I looked for signs of Sophia.

"I left her right here and led the walkers up the creek that way." Rick gestured in the other direction.

"Without a paddle...seems where we've landed." Daryl replied while I kept looking for any kind of tracks.

"She was gone by the time I got back to the group. I told her to go that way." he gestured to the left of where we had jumped in. "And to keep the sun on her left shoulder." he finished.

"Hey short round, why don't you step off to one side?" Daryl shot at Glenn. "You're mucking up the trail." he finished as we both made our way to where Glenn was standing.

"Assuming she knows her left from her right." Shane said to Rick. I couldn't help but want to punch him in the throat, but I kept my focus on tracking Sophia.

"Shane she understood me fine." Rick defended.

"Kid's tired and scared man. She had her a close call with two walkers. Got to wonder how much of what you said stuck." Shane replied, still the tone of his voice made me feel like he could shoot Rick right there.

"Got some clear prints right here." I spoke interrupting their little spat.

"She did like you said, headed back to the highway. Let's spread out, make our way back." Daryl instructed as he climbed out of the creek and helped me up. We both began tracking her prints.

Daryl was leading us with me right behind him and the others were following. We had tracked Sophia's prints to a small clearing that broke off into a couple different paths. Her tracks had taken a different turn.

"She was doing just fine till right here." Daryl said as we bent down to examine the tracks. "All she had to do was keep going, but she veered off that way." Daryl pointed in the direction I was already tracking.

"Daryl's right, she took off this way for some reason when she should have went straight." I pointed out the tracks to everyone.

"Why would she do that?" Glenn asked sounding utterly confused.

"Maybe saw something that spooked her, made her run off." Shane replied and he might have been right, but I saw no sign of anyone or anything else.

"A walker?" Glenn asked and his eyes widened.

"I don't see any other footprints. Just hers." Daryl stated.

"Same here." I said as I continued to study the ground.

"So what do we do? All of us press on?" Shane directed at Rick. It was then Daryl and I stood up straight.

"No. Better if you, Glenn and Josh get back to the highway. People are going to start panicking. Let them know we're on her trail, doing everything we can. But most of all, keep everybody calm." Rick explained to Shane.

"I'll keep them busy scavenging cars. Think up a few chores. I'll keep 'em occupied." Shane replied.

"I'm staying behind to help. I'm a good tracker and two sets of eyes are better than one." Rick and Daryl nodded their heads in agreement.

"Come on." Shane said to Glenn and they began to leave. As Glenn passed me I stopped him for a moment.

"Tell my family what's going on and tell them I told you to watch over them." I whispered to him and he simply nodded in understanding. Then him and Shane left for the highway while Rick, Daryl and I followed Sophia's tracks.

Faye's POV

Shane and Glenn had returned to the road about twenty minutes ago and Shane had us moving cars and collecting supplies. The only reason Ava and I were listening to Shane was because the things needed to be done and Glenn was told to watch over us by Josh which meant he wanted us to behave. Everyone decided it was time for a break and started to gather around the RV for water. As Ava, Jaime and I made our way there, I heard the group talking.

"Going back's going to be easier than trying to get through this mess." Shane gestured to the wreckage around us as I grabbed water for Jaime and I.

"We're not going anywhere until my daughter gets back." Carol exclaimed. Lori and I said that went without saying.

"Daryl, Rick and Josh are on it. Just a matter of time." Shane replied.

"I'm still freaked out about that herd that passed us by." Andrea said as she joined the group.

"Yeah what was that? Them all marching together like that?" Glenn asked and I couldn't help but keep a hidden smile at his facial expression. It reminded me of a freaked out person in a cheesy horror film.

"A herd. That sounds about right. We've seen it. It's like the night camp got attacked. Some wandering, only fewer." The look on his face was almost a smirk and it made me feel sick to my stomach. "Still got a lot to do so let's stay on it." Shane directed, but I could tell most of the group was hungry.

I went to the truck while Jaime stayed with Ava. I took the keys out of my pocket and unlocked the bed of the truck, pulling the cover back. I looked at what we had to eat and saw we had some protein bars so I grabbed the box and locked the truck back up. I began handing them out to the group. Shane looked annoyed at my gesture, but I think it was because I wasn't following his orders like some drone. When I was done I threw the empty box to the side and began eating one of the bars.

I heard Shane get loud as Carl brought Dale a blade set he had found. When I looked down the road I saw that Shane and Lori were in a disagreement. Shortly after that, Shane's new car radio turned on and was playing a broadcast. I was sad to tell everyone that Ava, Josh, and I had heard that same broadcast on our way to Atlanta the first time.

"Great!" Shane said sarcastically as he shut the radio off. "Everyone let's get back to work."

I noticed the sun starting to set and I felt a tingle in my arm causing me to look in the direction the boys had left in and sure enough they were on their way back, but without Sophia.

"My God! They're back." Glenn exclaimed as everyone stopped what they were doing. Jaime let go of my shirt and ran to Daryl.

"You didn't find her?" Carol cried to Rick as Daryl bent down to pick up Jaime.

"Her trail went cold. We'll pick it up again at first light." Rick explained as they crossed over the guardrail and joined the group.

Ava held out a shirt for Josh and when he gave her a look she simply gestured to the blood and dirt on his current one so he grabbed the shirt and began to change.

"You can't leave my baby girl out there all alone." Carol sobbed.

"Out in the dark's no good. We'd just be tripping over ourselves. More people get lost." Daryl explained as he made his way next to me with Jaime in his arms.

"But she's only twelve! She can't be on her own."

"I know this is hard, but I'm asking not to panic. We know she was out there." Rick said trying to calm Carol.

"We tracked her for a while." Daryl added.

"We have to make this and organized effort. Daryl knows the wood better than anybody and Josh is right up there with him. I've asked them to oversee this." Rick explained. Carol looked from Daryl to Josh.

"Daryl. You have blood on your shirt." Jaime said as he pointed to it. Carol started to freak.

"We took down a walker, but there was no sign it had been anywhere near Sophia." Josh explained.

"How do you know that?" Andrea asked.

"We cut the son of a bitch open, made sure." Daryl replied.

Carol started to freak out on Rick, basically blaming him for the whole thing. I could see the guilt written all over his face before he simply decided to walk away.

**This was a short filler chapter to get us through to the more interesting stuff! Remember to R&R! **


	3. Chapter 3

**I own nothing from The Walking Dead Universe. I simply own my characters and story alterations. The rest belongs to it's respected owners. **

**A/N: So I just wanted to get this chapter up because I know many of you are going to be as excited about it as I am. Please remember to R&R! Love Love Love Reviews! And don't forget to participate in the challenge. Full details are in the first chapter! Enjoy! **

**Chapter 3 – Trust Is Key**

Faye's POV

It had been a half hour since Rick had taken off down the highway and no one had gone after him, not even Lori. Daryl had just taken Jaime to clean up while Josh and Ava were checking what food supplies we had left. I walked along the highway until I found Rick sitting on the hood of a blue car. He turned at the sound of the rock I kicked to get his attention. He saw me, forced a smile, then looked back to the ending sunset ahead. I walked up to the car and sat next to him on the hood. We stayed silent for a few minutes until I decided to break it.

"Rick its not your fault and Carol is just upset so try not to take what she says to heart." I stated. He looked me over and forced another smile. "Josh told me what happened and you only did what you thought was right so you could save the both of you." I added but I could see what I was saying were things he had already told himself. "Okay I'll tell you what. I'm going to try and read your mind like I do with Josh and you just tell me if I'm hot or cold. Agreed?" I asked and he simply nodded looking a bit entertained by the idea. "Okay." I said cracking my knuckles then stretched my shoulders. I placed one hand on the top of his head and one over his heart, closed my eyes and made a humming noise for effect. "I've got something. You are thinking that you overlooked something. You are thinking there is something that could have been done that you missed. You are blaming yourself for the herd of walkers passing in the first place." I finished then opened one eye to look at him. "How am I doing?" I questioned.

"On fire." He said and I pulled my hands back to myself. This time his smile wasn't forced and I smiled back.

"Rick, you know you did the best you could. I didn't see anyone else chase after her with no hesitation what so ever like you did. And tomorrow we are going back into those woods and we are going to find Sophia." I stated.

"You always seem so sure of things." he said softly as he looked into my eyes. I laughed a bit.

"I'm not sure about a lot of things, but I try to keep a positive outlook on things when there is one. Glass half full and all that." I replied.

"Faye, I have a question for you."

"I'm an open book at the moment."

"Josh said your life was worse before all of this, the dead rising stuff. What did he mean by that because to me you seem like a very strong and independent woman." I smiled at the compliment.

"It's because of my past that I am as strong as you have seen me. I have weaknesses just like anyone else, but I trained myself on how to hide them and showing emotion. I uh, I lost my son, Jeremy, to Leukemia a few months before the break out. His father's name was Keith. I met Keith in college. A while after we had been dating I found out he was sick with cancer. He never told me because he thought I would leave him when things started to get ugly, but that just showed he didn't know me as well as he thought he did. We got news that Keith was in remission so we used that opportunity to get married. We had been married eight months when I found out I was pregnant with Jeremy and 15 months when Keith came out of remission. A few months after I had Jeremy, Keith died and a few months after that I found out that Jeremy had Leukemia. I spent the next three and a half years in and out of the hospital with him until finally it got so bad we had to live there basically. I guess you could say it was worse for me before the breakout because my biggest fear was losing my son and it came true. I blamed myself for months and I just put life on hold. I made my own living hell by doing that. It was worse because I couldn't fight what was killing the people I loved, but now the biggest threat is walkers and those I can fight. I only got my strength and confidence back shortly before we met up with your group. I'm stronger now because I have my family, Jaime, Daryl, the group in general, and you." I bumped his shoulder with mine.

"What do you mean me?" he looked surprised.

"You saved my ass at the CDC. Don't think I've forgotten." I smirked causing him to smirk back. "Anyway I hope my story made sense." I added.

"It made complete sense." he replied with a light laugh.

"No one could have done any better than you did in trying to protect Sophia, not even myself." I stated as I looked at the blues and purples left behind in the sky by the sunset.

"I'm not sure how, but you made me feel a bit better Faye. Thank you." I looked to him as he smiled.

"That just shows you never had a sister, but I've got your six." I chuckled a bit. "And you're welcome." I added. I stood up and held my hand out. "We should get back to the group." he grabbed my hand and I pulled him off of the hood and to his feet.

Josh's POV

After Ava and I calculated what food we had left I went looking for Faye, but she was no where in sight. I saw Daryl by his bike with James cleaning up with a bucket of water.

"Hey man you seen Faye?" I asked him and he simply pointed in the other direction.

When I looked I saw Faye walking back in our direction next to Rick. Faye stopped by me and Daryl as Rick passed us to find his family. Faye whispered to me that Rick should be alright now. She then told me what they talked about and I smirked as I pulled her into a hug.

"What was that for?" Faye asked as I let go.

"For being the best sister in the world, even to those who don't have one." I was ecstatic at how much she had changed when we joined Rick's group.

She was opening her heart back up a little bit more each day. So was Ava. Ava had become fast friends with Andrea in the last couple days. After the CDC Ava shared shared her story about her brother with Andrea and it made her realized that Ava knew exactly what she was going through.

"I wouldn't say I'm the best sister in the world, but I try." Faye grinned and I smiled in return.

"Hey babe?" Ava questioned.

"Yeah?" I asked.

"Have you seen my keys?"

"They should be in your pocket."

"I think I dropped them somewhere in all the chaos today. I looked under the car I was under and retraced my steps and couldn't find them anywhere." she explained.

"They're around here somewhere." Faye said.

"Faye check the guns." her eyes widened but she followed my order.

"What are you thinking babe?" Ava asked.

"We'll find out in a minute." I replied. Faye came running back.

"Two nine millimeters, a silencer and ammo are gone." She said short of breath.

"I got this." I said then took off in the direction of Shane's new car.

I found Shane standing near it and saw Ava's purple chain slightly sticking out of his pocket. That confirmed everything. I walked up to him, spun him around and gripped him up before punching him square in the jaw and then his nose. He was able to slip my hold, then we began trading punches until Rick pulled Shane back and Daryl pulled me back.

"What the hell is going on?" Rick directed at Shane.

"Ask him. He's the one who started attacking me." He pointed at me.

"For a damn good reason too." I shot.

"Josh?" Rick questioned.

"Check his right, back pocket." I gestured. Shane got a surprised look on is face. Rick pulled out a set of keys on a purple chain. "Look at the picture." and Rick did. "That's Ava and her brother Bobby. Ava noticed her keys were missing so we checked our guns. Two nine mills are missing along with ammo and a silencer. I bet if you check his car, they'll be in there!" I exclaimed while Daryl was still holding me back.

"Shane?" Rick looked confused, but Shane reached in the car through the window and pulled out a black bag and dropped it causing it to open revealing the stolen guns. "Why?" Rick asked.

"I was thinking of going on my own. Took the rifle and the Glock from the camper." Shane replied. By now half of the group had joined around us and Ava was at my side. Daryl finally let me go, but stood next to me, ready for anything that might happen next.

"Why didn't you just ask?" Ava spoke.

"Knew he would say no." He gestured to me as he answered Ava's question.

"Then what does that tell you douche bag?!" I yelled and Ava grabbed my arm.

"Calm down Josh." Rick said.

"Calm down?" he asked sarcastically. "He's had an issue with me and kept and eye on our supplies since day one even though we been sharing. He talked shit to my sister, looks at you like he wants to kill you, and now he stole my wife's keys to break into our truck and steal from us. He's done already crossed the line and you want _me_ to calm down?!" I exclaimed as I kept my focus directly on Rick. He simply gave me a look showing that's exactly what he wanted me to do. "Fine! But if he comes near my family or my truck again...I'll kill him." there was no sign of humor on my face or in my voice.

Rick handed me the stolen items then I wrapped my free arm around Ava and walked away. I knew I couldn't trust Shane and trust is the key to a lot of things. When we got back to the truck, Faye and James were playing a game of tag. She looked up when she saw us. Ava took the guns and her keys and kept walking to put them away while I stopped a few yards from the truck. Faye came towards me and asked what happened.

"Well your instincts were right." she confessed after I told her everything.

"Yeah so make sure you and James stay as far away from him as possible." I instructed and she simply nodded.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It had been a couple hours since my confrontation with Shane. I had calmed down for the most part but never took my eyes off of Shane when he was in sight. He brought a rage out of me I hadn't known my entire life. Faye had finally put James to sleep when she joined me by the small fire I had built.

"Where's Ava?" I questioned as Faye sat down.

"In the truck waiting for you." She said as she dusted her hands off on her jeans.

"Faye I can't possibly sleep after what went down today." I told her.

"I know, but I didn't say you had to sleep. Spend some time with your wife and relax a little before we go searching for Sophia tomorrow." She said to me as if it were common knowledge. I couldn't help but give a small smile. "See if I can at least get that kind of smile out of you after the day you've had I know I'm right and have accomplished my sisterly role for the day." she smiled followed by a laugh that made me laugh as well.

"Faye..." I went to object but she threw her hand up which told me to shut up.

"Your wife is waiting." she pushed at my shoulder telling me to get up which I did.

"Your going to..."

"Stay by the fire?" I simply nodded. "Got it bro."

"Thanks."

"You're welcome now go!" she said getting to her feet and started pushing me in the direction of the truck.

Faye's POV

I stood up and told Josh to go to Ava and gave him a little shove. They were the only hope I had for true love in this world. Yes Daryl and I had a connection but I wasn't sure if it was love, but whatever it was it was strong, growing fast and there was definitely trust. Trust is key.

I looked around and saw Daryl sitting on the road resting against a car inspecting his crossbow. I watched him for a few moments until he looked up and his eyes met mine. He gave me one of his smirks before he stood up and walked toward me. He didn't stop until he had his arms wrapped around me tightly. I wrapped my arms around his neck instinctively. We stood like that for a few minutes and I could feel something was up with him. He pulled back to look in my eyes as he rested his forehead against mine. I could see he had something swirling around in his head.

"Are you alright?" I kept my voice to an almost whisper.

"Don't want to talk about it." his voice was just as soft.

We stared into one another's eyes for a few moments. All I could think of was kissing him, but he wasn't one for PDA. I grabbed his hand and led him behind a car where we were completely out of sight. I slightly pushed him backwards against the car and smirked at him before crashing my lips into his.

After a few minutes Daryl slightly pushed me back and bore his sea blue eyes into my emerald green ones. He brushed a stray hair from my face, then led his hand to the back of my head and grabbed a fistful of my hair before crashing his lips back onto mine. Our lips moved in sync as he deepened the kiss with each movement. His kisses had a deep hunger and desire that I just wanted to fill. He gripped my hair tighter as he closed all space between us by pulling me as close to him as possible. Before I knew it he flipped us and I was now pinned between him and the car. He closed all space between us so our bodies were practically one. He kept one arm wrapped around my neck while the other explored my body. I ran my hands up his shirt and took my time to feel each muscle up his chest, all the while we never broke the kiss. When Daryl did finally break the kiss it was to trail kisses down my neck until he reached the nape of it and gave a couple bites before he trailed back up to my lips and we started kissing again.

**So things are really heating up between Daryl and Faye huh! Will it continue this way or will something get in their way? And now Josh despises Shane even more than he did before. Will they be able to get past it while they search for Sophia? What lies in store for the Wyatts? Will they find their family? All of these questions and more will be answered as the story continues! And it will. I promise :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**I own nothing from The Walking Dead Universe. I simply own my characters and story alterations. Everything else belongs to its respected owners. **

**A/N: Please remember to R&R! I love hearing from my readers! Enjoy!**

**Chapter 4 – Splitting Up. **

Ava's POV

I woke up to Josh's deep breathing beside me and the birds were chirping loudly outside. I gently unwrapped myself from Josh's arms and sat up. I looked to Josh's peaceful sleeping face and smiled. Josh had finally fallen asleep after we had talked for a while last night. The last night he had slept was the CDC a few days ago so I was glad he was finally getting some rest. I looked in the backseat and saw James sleeping peacefully as well. I grabbed my jacket and quietly got out of the truck to check on Faye. I walked to where Josh had left her and found her laying on a blanket on the ground cuddled up to Daryl. I couldn't help but smile as I made my way over to them. Daryl had one arm under Faye's head while the other was wrapped around her waist and they were holding hands as they slept. I loudly made a fake coughing noise to wake them. Daryl's eyes opened first and when he saw me I waved with a smirk on my face. He shook Faye lightly to wake her. She stirred then saw me. They both sat up and Daryl helped Faye to her feet.

"Mornin'." Daryl said. I simply nodded. "I'm gonna go see if anyone else is up yet." He said to Faye before kissing her cheek and walking off in the other direction.

"Good morning Ava." Faye's voice was still thick with sleep. Her lips were a dark red and swollen not to mention she had a large hickey at the nape of her neck.

"So is Daryl secretly a vampire?" I asked and she looked at me confused. I pulled my compact mirror out of my pocket and showed her.

"Oh my god!" she exclaimed as she took the mirror from me to examine the hickey better.

"Might want to throw some of this on." I said as I pulled out a tube of light brown lipstick from my pocket.

It was then she decided to look at her lips and her eyes widened even more as she traced them with her fingers. She took the lipstick and applied it. I couldn't help but laugh at her expressions as she did so.

"How's that?" she asked referring to the lipstick.

"You can still tell they're swollen and you might want to wear your hair down today." I chuckled. She took her long dark hair out of the pony she had it in. "So I'm guessing it was good?" I implied and she looked at me confused. I simply gave her one of my looks.

"Oh god! No Ava!"

"So it was bad?"

"What? No we didn't..." her voice trailed off as she shook her head.

"Then what's with?" I gestured to her lips and neck.

"Just one really intense make out session." She smiled brightly at the thought.

"I'm glad." She looked at me curiously. "I just mean I haven't seen a smile like that on your face for a long time. It's good to see you happy again even if it took the end of the world for it to happen." The last part was more of a joke and we both laughed. "And I haven't even seen you look at another guy since Keith." She froze and I realized what I had just said. "I'm sorr..."

"No. It fine. You're right. I never thought I could ever feel like this again in all honesty." She confessed. "There's something about Daryl that just draws me in you know." she added.

"Oh I know. That's how it is for me and your brother." I stated and she laughed. Just then I saw Josh get out of the truck and head toward us.

"I'm going to go check on Jaime." Faye said as she made her way toward the truck avoiding Josh as they passed one another.

"What's with her?" Josh asked before giving me a kiss on the cheek.

"You got the twinlepethy thing. Figure it out." I smiled as we wrapped into one another's arms. "How did you sleep?" I questioned.

"Pretty good for the couple hours I did get." He smirked.

"Good." I smirked back before I leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on his lips.

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Faye's POV

Everyone had gathered around one of the vehicles where Rick and Shane were. I dressed Jaime in some hiking boots I had picked up along the way so he would be able to stay by my side as we looked for Sophia. Rick laid out a blade set that Carl had found the previous day. They told everyone to take a weapon, but Josh, Ava and I were already equipped with our own. Andrea asked about the guns. Shane had explained before how the group was not trained to use them. She scoffed and gestured to me and my family as we attached silencers to our guns.

"Oh trust me..." Ava clicked her silencer in place. "We are definitely trained." she finished as she slipped her clip in place. She spoke with such confidence I couldn't help but silently laugh at the scene.

Shane told Andrea to get over it. We didn't have enough silencers to go around and what if another herd of walkers were to pass by and someone decides to shoot at the wrong moment. It would condemn us all to death.

"The idea is to take the creek up about five miles, turn around, and come back down the other side. Chances are she'll be by the creek. It's her only landmark." Daryl explained to the group.

"Stay quiet and stay sharp. Keep space between you, but always in sight of each other." Rick directed.

"Everybody assemble your packs." Shane piped up.

"Faye?" I looked down to Jaime. "Can I stay here? I am still tired." he said as I bent down to be level with him.

"How many nightmares did you have last night?" I questioned.

"I woke up three times." he confessed.

"Do you want to talk about it?" I kept my voice soft.

"Not yet." was all he said. I took Jaime's hand as I stood up and we made our way over to the RV.

"Dale?" He turned to look at me. Would you be able to watch Jaime? He's not feeling up to hiking in the woods." I asked.

"I'd love to." He replied with a smile.

"Great. Well he has food and water in his backpack. And he's tired so he should take a nap sometime. And..."

"Faye. I've got it. He's in good hands." I simple smiled back at him.

"I know. Thank you." I then explained the rules to Jaime then went to join the group.

We all stood there awkwardly for a few minutes while Andrea and Dale argued about what went down at the CDC until finally we began on our journey.

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We had been walking for a bit now when we came across a campsite. Daryl and I inspected it and found the person had killed themselves. Daryl grabbed the gun and stuck in the back of his pants before we stepped out of the tent. There was no sign of Sophia ever being here.

"What's in there?" Lori asked as we stepped out.

"Some guy. Did what Jenner said, opted out. Isn't that what he called it?" Daryl replied. He looked over to me and I simply gave a nod showing he was right. He kept his eyes on mine for a few moments until suddenly we heard church bells begin to go off.

We decided to follow the bells, thinking it could have something to do with Sophia. We found a church but there wasn't a steeple for the bells which Shane pointed out. Rick and Josh ran for it anyway and we all followed. Rick, Josh, Shane and Daryl were the first ones to enter the church with the rest of us following. There were four walkers which the boys killed instantly. Rick became frustrated and started yelling for Sophia as I walked up to the crucifix with Daryl.

"Yo J.C.? You takin' requests?" I couldn't help but smirk.

Shane kept insisting we had the wrong church because of there being no bells until we heard some going off directly outside. Most of us ran outside only to find it was a recording hooked up to a timer. A lot of us went back into the church. Daryl stood next to me and Ava in the back of the church while Josh stood next to Rick and Carl and Lori sat behind Carol. We all stayed silent and listened while Carol talked to God about her abusive husband and all the things that God has made come true for her. She then started praying for her daughter's safety. I felt a hand slip into mine and lac its fingers with mine. When I looked up I saw it was Daryl. He looked into my eyes for a moment then down to the ground. When Carol finished we all stayed silent while Carol cried to Lori. After a bit we all gathered outside the church and Shane told us how things were gonna go.

"Y'all gonna follow the creek bed back okay? Daryl, you're in charge. Me, Rick and Josh are just gonna hang back, search the area another hour or so, just to be thorough." Shane explained.

"You're splitting us up? You sure?" Daryl asked.

"Yeah, we'll catch up to you." Shane replied.

"I want to stay too." Carl spoke up. Shane looked to Rick who looked to Lori.

"Just be careful okay?" Lori said to him.

"I will." Carl replied.

Josh walked over to me and Ava. "I want you to watch each others six. I'll meet up with you guys shortly." Josh said as he pulled both of us into a hug.

"You sure about us splitting up?" Ava asked concerned as we released the hug.

"I'll be fine babe." He said as he gave a soft kiss on the lips. "Besides, Faye will be able to tell if anything happens to me." He smirked at me. "Think you and Daryl can not suck face long enough to get back to the road?" his joke was directed at me. My hand instantly covered the hickey on my neck.

"How did you know?" I questioned.

"Twinlepathy." He answered. "That and you look like you got collagen in your lips." he laughed.

"Let's get going." Daryl spoke. We said our goodbyes and split up, but I saw Rick give Lori a gun before we started after Daryl and noticed Andrea get real annoyed by it.

Josh's POV

Rick asked for a minute alone in the church. Carl and Shane were sitting on the steps and I was leaning against the railing.

"Josh. I wanted to apologize..."

"Don't." I interrupted Shane and looked over to him. "Not now and not in front of the kid." I said as I look back ahead. We sat in silence until Rick exited the church.

"Get what you needed?" Shane asked as him and Carl stood up.

"Guess I'll find out." Rick replied as he started walking. Shane, Carl, and I followed after him.

Faye's POV

We had stopped because Carol started complaining about the situation and she was directing her complaints to Daryl.

"I guess the plan is to whittle us down into smaller and smaller groups." He shot sarcastically at her.

"Carrying knives and pointy sticks. I see you have a gun." she directed the second part at Lori.

Lori went off on everyone and then explained to Carol that she had to stop blaming Rick and I agreed. Ever since yesterday she had blame in her eyes every time she looked at him. It wasn't Rick's fault that any of this had happened or that her daughter couldn't follow a simple set of instructions, but I could see Carol was one of those people that just needed someone to blame.

"Y'all look to him and then you blame him when he's not perfect. If you think you can do this without him, go right ahead. No one is stopping you." I knew me and my family could survive, but we liked the group and I completely agreed with everything Lori was saying. Most of it I had just told Rick the night before.

At the thought of one day to meet up with our family my heart dropped and Instantly looked to Daryl. He caught my eyes and must have noticed my discontent because he gestured for me to come closer as he put is bow over his shoulder. I walked up to him and her wrapped and arm around my shoulders.

"You alright?" he kept his voice low.

"Yeah." I lied. "I was just thinking." I finished.

"What about?"

"Nothing important." I lied again. It was important. What were we going to do when it came time for us to meet up with our family? Were we going to come back to the group or head out on our own? All I knew is if I had a say in the matter we would stay with the group and have the rest of our family join it.

"We should keep moving." Was all Andrea said as she handed the gun back to Lori as a peace offering. We grabbed our things and headed back on the path.

Josh's POV

We had been walking through the woods for a while looking for Sophia. I had stayed quiet most of the time simple looking for tracks. We decided we were going to head back, but out of no where we saw a deer come into our path. Shane went to shoot it, but Rick stopped him when he saw how mesmerized Carl was by it. Carl began to walk slowly toward the deer. We were all pretty amazed by the sight. Suddenly in that moment of peace came a gun shot and we watched as both Carl and the deer dropped to the ground.

**Be sure to let me know what you think in a review and don't forget about the contest! All info on that is in the first chapter. **


	5. Chapter 5

**I own nothing from The Walking Dead Universe. I simply own my characters and story alterations/additions. Everything else belongs to it's respected owners. **

**A/N: Thanks so much for the Follows/Favs/Reviews! Just makes me want to work harder on getting these chapters up. Remember to partake in the contest for your shot at a one shot of your choice. Details can be found in the first chapter. On with the story! Please remember to review!**

**Chapter 05 – Bloodletting**

Josh's POV

The guy who had shot Carl was now leading us in the direction of a farm where someone would be able to help Carl. Rick had Carl in his arms and was running as fast as possible and I kept up with him. I kept thinking of Faye in hopes the twinlepathy thing worked and she would know something was wrong. Faye was a doctor for a few years. I knew she could help. Rick was hysterical as he turned and yelled at the guy. His name was Otis.

"How Far?! How Far?!" Rick's voice was panicked.

"Another half mile that way." Otis replied pointing ahead a little to the right. "Hershel! Talk to Hershel! He'll help your boy!" Otis yelled. Rick began running faster and I kept up with him while Shane jogged back with Otis.

It took us about ten minutes to reach the farm that Otis was talking about. An older man came from inside as we ran up to the house.

"Was he bit?" The man asked.

"He was shot by your man Otis." I replied.

"He said to find Hershel. Is that you?" Rick asked as the man walked up to him. "Help me. Help my boy." Rick pleaded.

"Get him inside." The man I assumed to be Hershel said. Rick was instructed to lay Carl on the bed so he did. "Pillowcase."

"Is he alive?" Rick asked. I could see the utter distress on his face.

Hershel instructed Rick to make the pillowcase into a pad as Rick kept asking if Carl was alive. He told Rick to put pressure on the wound as he checked Carl's vitals. He heard a heartbeat but it was faint which in effect finally answered Rick's question and my own.

"I've got it, step back." The one they called Patricia said, but Rick didn't move.

"Names?" He directed at us.

"I'm Josh and this is Rick." I answered as Rick stuttered.

"Rick?" Hershel asked.

"I'm...I'm Rick." I could see how dazed and confused he was.

Hershel explained that he was going to do everything he could to help Carl but they needed room. Rick hesitated to leave at first.

"If there's one thing I know about doctors is they can't work when the loved ones are hovering over them man. Let him help your son." I said as I turned him and moved him outside onto the porch.

He was in complete shock. I had only seen one other person like this and that was Faye. So stunned that your mind can't process what's happening. I looked up and saw Otis and Shane running up to the house.

"He alive? Is he still alive?" Otis asked short of breath. I saw Rick wipe blood on his face forgetting that he had Carl's blood on his hand.

"For the moment." I said answering Otis.

Shane walked up to Rick with a rag to clean him up. Rick then led Shane into the house and I followed behind Otis.

"You know his blood type?" Hershel directed his question to Rick.

"A positive, same as mine." He answered.

"And mine." I added.

"That's fortunate. Don't wander too far. I'm going to need you two." He instructed me and Rick then turned his attention to Otis.

Otis explained what happened and Hershel told us how the bullet hadn't gone clean through. The deer slowed it down saving his life but it broke into pieces. He said he needed to get the fragments out and he counted six of them. Otis began panicking to Patricia and I could see how bad he felt.

"Lori doesn't know?" Rick asked no one in particular.

"No." Shane replied.

Rick began breaking down and Shane was there to try and keep him strong. No matter how much I hated him I had to have respect for what he was doing right now and I could swear that for a split second the look of wanting to kill Rick had left his eyes. As I watched I just silently kept thinking of Faye.

Faye's POV

We had heard a gunshot a while back but we were still following Daryl down the creek bed. _Faye. _I stopped for a second and looked back at the sound of my name. It sounded like Josh whispering, but when I looked he wasn't there. Suddenly I felt a wave of emotion that I didn't understand. I could feel that Josh was fine, but it was almost as if his emotions were trying to creep into my head, but I couldn't make out what he was trying to tell me. Everyone else decided to stop to catch their breath.

"You two still worrying about it?" Andrea directed at me and Lori.

"It was a gunshot." Lori stated.

"We all heard it." Daryl added.

"Why one? Why just one gunshot?" Lori asked.

"Yeah it doesn't make sense." I added.

"Maybe they took down a walker." Daryl replied, but you could see he didn't believe it.

"Please don't patronize me. You know Rick wouldn't risk a gunshot to put down one walker. Or Shane. They'd do it quietly." Lori explained and I completely agreed.

"So would Josh." Ava spoke up and I sensed a bit of worry in her voice.

"Shouldn't they have caught up to us by now?" Carol pointed out.

"There's nothing we can do about it anyways. Can't run around the woods chasing echoes." I could see that Daryl was annoyed by this whole situation. Suddenly I felt another wave of emotion hit me. This time it caused me to take a step back. _Faye. _I heard the whisper again, but Josh was no where in sight. "You alright?" Daryl asked me.

"Yeah. Just feel a little hot." I lied as I opened my vest and took it off.

"So what do we do?" Lori asked.

"Keep pressing on." I stated. Daryl gave me a look as if I took the words right out of his mouth.

"Exactly. We keep doing the same as we've been. Beat the bush for Sophia, work our way back to the highway." Daryl explained.

"I'm sure they'll hook up with us back at the RV." Andrea said to Lori.

"Trust me, I'd know if something was wrong." I said as I held my hand out to help Lori to her feet. She took it and I pulled her up. I technically wasn't lying. I just left out the part where I knew that there was something wrong. But why worry the entire group and them take off trying to find the boys when we didn't know what was wrong or even where they were. That's why I decided to keep my feelings to myself for the time being.

We continued on the path and as we did the waves of emotion had become stronger and coming faster. It was becoming so strong it felt like shocks of electricity were shooting through my veins. We stopped yet again because Andrea had stopped Carol to tell her that she knew what she was going through. Carol just kept saying how she was hoping and praying that Sophia was fine.

"We're all hoping and praying with you for what it's worth." Andrea tried to reassure her. Daryl passed me and made his way over to them hastily.

"I'll tell you what it's worth, not a damn thing. It's a waste of time all this hopin' and prayin'. 'Cause we're gonna locate that little girl and she's gonna be just fine." I couldn't help but smile as he spoke. He had more confidence in finding her than anyone else aside from myself. "Am I the only one Zen around here? Good Lord!" he exclaimed as he walked away from them. Daryl's eyes met mine and he gave me a smirk when he saw my smile. He then began to lead us back to the highway again.

Josh's POV

We had been waiting to hear what was going on with Carl. Rick was completely blaming himself for the whole thing.

"Why'd I let him come with us? I should have sent him with Lori." Rick said aloud.

"You know you start that, you'll never get that monkey off your back." Shane told him and I definitely agreed with him. It was similar to what I had told Faye shortly after Jeremy died.

"Rick, it's not your fault. There is no way you could have predicted this. No one could've." I told him the same thing I had told Faye.

Rick started listing things to Shane that he should have done differently and then says he should be the one inside instead of Carl. Just then the girl they called Maggie came outside and said Carl needed blood so we followed her inside.

"You two hold him down." Hershel directed at me and Shane while Carl was screaming and thrashing in pain.

Shane held his shoulders down while I held down his torso. Hershel was digging at Carl's wound to try to get the bullet fragments out all the while Carl was struggling against us and screaming loudly.

"Almost there." Hershel said as Carl began screaming louder.

"Stop! You're killing him!" Rick yelled at Hershel.

"Rick, do you want him to live?" Hershel asked.

Patricia explained to Rick that Carl needed blood and Shane yelled for them to do it. Rick got prepared to give Carl blood. Finally Carl stopped screaming, but it was because he had passed out from the pain.

"One down..." Hershel said as he dropped a bullet fragment into a bowl of water. "Five to go." He finished his sentence.

Rick kept saying how Lori should be here and he was right. She was Carl's mother and needed to know which is also what Rick had said. I was going to go get her, but Hershel said that Rick and I needed to stay because Carl was going to need more blood. After Rick was done giving blood, he and I followed Shane out of the room. We entered the living room where Maggie and Otis were waiting. I saw that they were looking to us for answers.

"He's fine for now." I said answering their silent question.

Rick started up again and I agreed with him that Lori needed to be here but if he left and something happened to Carl, he would never forgive himself and as I thought this to myself, Shane was explaining it to Rick aloud. I I didn't trust him and I was still angry at him, but he was being a great friend to Rick at the moment by being his rock and I respected that. It reminded me of a conversation I had with Faye when Jeremy took a turn for the worst.

(((Flashback)))

Faye had called me and asked if I could get down to the hospital as soon as possible. I rushed down after throwing some sweats on. I had only lived a few blocks away so I ran. When I got there a doctor was exiting Jeremy's room and his face looked glum. I grabbed Faye's hand as I stood next to her. She squeezed it without ever having to look who it was. The doctor explained that Jeremy's condition had taken the ultimate turn for the worst. He had two weeks at the most left. We had never been given that short of a time frame before. The doctor explained there was nothing more he could do and Jeremy's life was now in his own hands. We stood silently in the hallway outside of Jeremy's room. Faye was leaning against the wall, I was pacing back and forth and neither of us had spoken a word since the doctor left fifteen minutes ago. Faye broke the silence with a frustrated huff.

"I need some air." she went to walk away but I grabbed her arm and made her look at me.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?" I shot.

"I can't think in here anymore!" She exclaimed as her voice cracked. I understood what she meant. She had been living in this hospital for the last two years.

"You can't leave." I stated, my voice calmer.

"I just need to breathe." I saw tears begin to form in her eyes.

"Where you even listening to the doctor? Jeremy doesn't have that much time left." she went to pull away but I didn't let he budge. "Look I know you're scared, I feel it, and I'm scared too, I know you feel that." she simply nodded. "But you're his mother Faye. You need to spend as much time with him as he has left. He's scared too. He needs to know he isn't alone in this. What would happen if you were to leave even for a minute and something happened to him? You would never forgive yourself. _Your_ son is in there scared and needing his mother's love. Do you understand me?" I said to her and a few tears slipped but she refused to cry. She launched herself at me and hugged me tight for a few moments before she pulled back and wiped away the few tears she had. It was then I noticed I had tears in my eyes as well.

"Thank you." she said.

"I'll call the family and meet you in there in a bit." I told her and she gave a small smile before she walked into Jeremy's room.

I watched through the window and saw Jeremy's face brighten right up at the sight of Faye. She grabbed his favorite book and climbed into bed with him and she read to him as he snuggled up to her. I couldn't hold back my pain from this anymore and began crying as I fell against the wall and slowly to the floor. Not long after I felt a pair of small arms wrap around me and start pulling me to my feet with ease. When I stood up I saw it was Ava. I tried to talk but couldn't. She simply pulled me to her and I rested my head on her shoulder as I cried to her.

(((End Flashback)))

I was brought back to reality when Hershel came out of the bedroom and he was wiping quite a bit of blood off of his hands.

**So we got to see what life was like for Faye and Josh approximately four months before the world ended. Seems their twinlepathy works just fine. Will Faye ever tell the group what she is feeling or hearing from Josh? What will the Wyatts do when it is time for them to rendezvous with the rest of their family? Would Faye stay behind to stay with Daryl or would Daryl be willing to leave with Faye? So many questions and more will be answered as the story continues. Please Review Review Review!**


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